Game with textured playing positions

ABSTRACT

The game with textured playing positions is a game in which the playing positions are textured with different textures. The players attempt to position themselves on a playing surface without falling by distinguishing the positions from one another by touch, rather than requiring sight and lighting to distinguish different colors. The textured playing positions of the present game facilitate the play of the game in water, as in a shallow wading pool or the like, by providing better traction and grip for the players on what would be an otherwise slippery surface. The playing surface may be formed integrally with such a pool, if so desired. The provision of different textures for different playing positions also enables play of the game in darkened conditions, if so desired. Alternative embodiments indicate the different positions using phosphorescent or fluorescent colors to allow play in the dark or by use of ultraviolet lighting.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/507,959, filed Oct. 3, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to physically interactive gamesin which players interact with one another on a predetermined playingsurface. More specifically, the present invention is a Twister® name(Twister is a registered trademark of the Milton Bradley Company of EastLongmeadow, Mass.) wherein the playing surface includes textured playingpositions, enabling players to play the game in conditions where thecoefficient of friction has been reduced (i.e., in water) and/or wherethe playing positions are not visible, as when blindfolded or indarkness. The playing positions may alternatively be marked withfluorescent or phosphorescent colors to enable the game to be playedunder ultraviolet lighting, or to allow the playing positions to bevisible in darkness.

2. Description of the Related Art

Innumerable “party” and other games involving physical interactionbetween players have been developed over the years. Hopscotch,hide-and-seek, tag, “spin the bottle,” “pin the tail on the donkey,” andmany others have been developed in the past. A more recent variationupon such games requiring physical interaction between players is thegame of Twister®. This game includes a playing surface having a seriesof differently colored playing positions thereon, with the surface andpositions being sufficiently large to enable two or more players toposition themselves upon the playing surface. Playing positions arerandomly and sequentially called out, preferably by a third party, withplayers being required to work around one another to place their handsand feet upon the designated playing positions. Players generallyeventually become entangled, with players losing his or her balance andfalling or touching the mat with a knee or elbow being eliminated untilthe last player left is declared the winner.

Twister® has been quite popular as a party game, but the gamenevertheless has its limitations. First of all, it is generally anindoor game, or at least a game which must be played in dry conditionsin order to avoid damage to the generally inexpensive playing surfaceprovided. Secondly, the different playing positions on the playingsurface are designated only by color, which makes the game impossible toplay in darkness.

The present inventor has developed a Twister type game which responds tothe limitations noted above for the original Twister game. The presentinventor initially created a Twister type game with a waterproof playingsurface, which could be placed in the bottom of a wading pool or thelike for water play. However, it was found that the lower coefficient offriction of the playing surface, due to the water, resulted in somedifficulty in players retaining their stances on the playing surface asthe game progressed. As a result, the present inventor conceived the useof textured playing positions, i.e., ridged, dimpled, roughened, etc.,to enable players to better maintain their stances on the playingsurface when in water. It was then realized that by making the variousplaying positions with different textures from one another, rather thanmerely coloring them differently, that it was no longer necessary to seethe playing positions in order to play the game. The provision ofdifferent textures for different playing positions allows the game to beplayed even when players cannot see the actual playing surface, as whenblindfolded or playing in darkness. Another embodiment of the presentinvention is the marking of the various playing positions with differentfluorescent or phosphorescent colors, to enable the players to playunder ultraviolet lighting or in darkness. Still another embodiment isthe provision of non-rectangular playing surfaces and/or randomlylocated playing positions on the playing surfaces of the present game.

A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware,and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, isprovided below.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,547 issued on May 2, 1961 to Robert D. Carrier,titled “Aquatic Play Equipment,” describes a water slide device, whereina garden hose or the like is connected to the device to wet down thesurface, thereby providing a low coefficient of friction for players toslide thereon. Carrier does not disclose any form of competitive aspectwhen using his water slide. Moreover, the Carrier device teaches awayfrom the present game, in that Carrier seeks to provide a very lowcoefficient of friction for his playing surface in order to allowplayers to slide upon the surface. In contrast, a major object of thepresent invention is to provide textured playing positions on theplaying surface, to provide players with a better grip on those playingpositions when playing in water. Such textured positions would not bedesirable on a surface intended for sliding upon.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,454,279 issued on Jul. 8, 1969 to Charles F. Foley etal., titled “Apparatus For Playing A Game Wherein The Players ConstituteThe Game Pieces,” describes the original Twister® game, with thedisclosure being incorporated herein by reference. The Foley patentdiscloses a rectangular playing surface having a six-by-four matrix ofplaying positions, with the positions of each of the four rows beingdifferentiated by color and all positions in any given row being thesame color. Foley et al. do not describe any other means ofdifferentiating the player positions from one another, other than byusing different colors. Thus, the Foley et al. game could not be playedby blindfolded players or in unlighted conditions, as can the presentgame with its textured positions. Moreover, as Foley et al. do notdescribe the use of textured playing positions with their game, theFoley et al. game is not well suited for play in water, where the waterwould lower the coefficient of friction of the playing surface. It isfurther noted that Foley et al. do not disclose any other combination ofplayer positions on their playing surface, other than a rectangularsurface wherein each row is formed of playing positions of the samecolor. The present invention provides various alternatives in additionto a rectangular playing surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,761,084 issued on Sep. 25, 1973 to Edward R. Dieckmann,titled “Balance Board Game,” describes an apparatus having a relativelylarge (i.e., on the order of three to four feet across) playing surfacebalanced upon a central pivot, with a series of smaller numberedpositions rotatably mounted atop the playing surface. Cards areprovided, instructing the two players to stand sequentially upon thenumbered positions according to the numbers on the cards. Dieckmann doesnot disclose any different textures for his playing positions, as heprovides only numbers to differentiate the positions from one another.Moreover, the Dieckmann playing surface is too small to be used byplayers on all fours, with Dieckmann only disclosing standing players.The challenge in using the Dieckmann apparatus is in maintaining one'sbalance while standing; using the apparatus with both hands and feet,would remove much of the challenge. As Dieckmann indicates that theplayers be completely shod while playing, there is no motivation toprovide textured playing positions for the Dieckmann apparatus, asplayers would have difficulty distinguishing different textures from oneanother while wearing shoes.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,801 issued on Jul. 22, 1975 to Barbara Baird, titled“Skipping Projectile Water Target,” describes various embodiments ofgames or activities in which discs are skipped on the surface of a bodyof water by players aiming for a target. One embodiment comprises atic-tac-toe grid, with players having discs with two different markingsthereon. The object is to form a line across one of the rows, columns,or diagonals of the grid by skipping one's discs to alight in theappropriate grid locations. The Baird game does not use the players asactual components of the game, as does the present game. Moreover, asthe playing positions of the Baird tic-tac-toe grid are merely openareas of water, with the device floating in a pool or the like, notextured playing positions are provided. There is no motivation toprovide different textures for such playing positions in any event, asthe players do not come in direct contact with the playing positionsduring the course of play of the Baird game.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,009,880 issued on Mar. 1, 1977 to William B. Lammersen,titled “Recreational Device,” describes a sheet of material havingindicia thereon indicating various parts of the human body, e.g., feet,hands, head, buttocks, etc. Multiple sets of such markings may beprovided, with the sets being colored differently from one another. Thepurpose of the Lammersen device is for positioning oneself during yoga,exercise, etc. Lammersen makes no disclosure of any form of texturedplaying positions on his device, nor does he describe any rules for acompetitive game, as is played using the present textured playingsurface.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,185,819 issued on Jan. 29, 1980 to Larry W. Hartley,titled “Inflatable Hopping Game Device,” describes an inflatableframework which forms a hopscotch grid when fully deployed. As in thecase of the device of the Baird '801 U.S. Patent discussed furtherabove, the playing positions themselves are completely open between theperipheral frame members, with no structure whatsoever therein.Accordingly, Hartley cannot provide any form of textured playingpositions in his inflatable device. Hartley makes no disclosure of anymeans of playing a game while blindfolded or in darkness, using hisdevice.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,959 issued on Jan. 8, 1991 to Elliot Rudell et al.,titled “Water Sprinkler Mat Game,” describes a playing surface which issupplied with water from a garden hose or the like. The playing surfaceincludes a series of orifices in the upper surface thereof, throughwhich the water sprays when under some pressure. The rules of play andobject of the Rudell et al. game are essentially the same as those forthe game of Twister®, i.e. players are assigned specific points orlocations for the placement of their hands and feet, with the objectbeing to remain on all fours and avoid falling. Rudell states that theaddition of the water spray reduces the coefficient of friction of theplaying surface, thus making his game more difficult to play. Thisteaches away from the provision of the present game of textures for theplaying positions to provide a better grip for players. The lack oftexture of the Rudell et al. game also obviates any ability for play byblindfolded players or in darkness, as provided by the present game.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,671 issued on Oct. 13, 1992 to Marvin Smollar etal., titled “Water Slide And Pool With Water Curtain And PoolReplenishment System,” describes a water slide having a small pool atthe terminating end thereof and a water spray at some point near theterminating end. No competitive game is disclosed by Smollar et al., andas in the case of all such water slide devices, any provision of textureon the sliding surface would teach away from the desirability of asmooth, low friction surface for such sliding activities. The Smollar etal. slide is thus more closely related to the device of the Carrier '547U.S. Patent discussed further above, than it is to the present game andapparatus.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,409 issued on Oct. 20, 1992 to Sharron Barnes,titled “Game,” describes a portable hopscotch game apparatus comprisinga series of individual playing positions which may be laid out asdesired. The positions may have different shapes, numbers, or otherindicia thereon, to correspond with a series of cards which are drawnrandomly to serve as instructions for the players. Barnes also disclosesa relatively high coefficient of friction upon both the upper and lowersurfaces of her playing positions, in order to preclude their slippageon the underlying surface and/or the slippage of a player on the uppersurfaces of the playing positions. However, Barnes does not describe theuse of different textures on different positions to differentiate thedifferent positions from one another by touch, as is provided by thepresent game. Moreover, Barnes does not describe any means of using hergame apparatus in or under water, whereas the present game apparatus maybe used in such an environment, as well as by blindfolded players and/orin darkness.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,152 issued on Sep. 28, 1993 to John R. Timmerman,titled “Footstep Mimic Game,” describes a game having a series ofrelatively small, portable playing positions in the form of footprints.The object is to place the footprint positions sequentially, andprogressively step upon each position without falling. No game playingsurface is provided, nor does Timmerman describe any differentiationbetween any of the footprint playing positions of his game. No texturedsurfaces are described by Timmerman, nor does he disclose play underwater, while blindfolded, or in darkness, as may be accomplished withthe present game apparatus.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,214 issued on Mar. 28, 1995 to Marvin Smollar etal., titled “Water Slide And Sprinkler,” describes another variationupon the water slide and spray device of the '671 U.S. Patent to thesame inventors, discussed further above. The device of the '214 Smollaret al. U.S. Patent includes a raised central portion, unlike the earlierdevice of the '671 U.S. Patent. In neither case is there any disclosureof any competitive aspect, individual playing positions having differenttextures from one another, or any means of using the device whileblindfolded or in darkness, which aspects are all provided by thepresent game apparatus.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,228 issued on Aug. 8, 1995 to Geoffrey Pederson,titled “Board Game Apparatus And Method Of Play,” describes a gamehaving a relatively large playing surface with a three by three matrix(or other configuration) of playing positions thereon. The game isplayed somewhat like musical chairs, with more players than positionsand with players attempting to move to one of the positions at a givensignal (stoppage of music, etc.). Players merely stand upon thepositions during the course of play; no contact with the playingpositions is made with any part of the anatomy other than the feet.Moreover, while Pederson provides different colors for the playingpositions, he does not disclose the use of different textures for theplaying positions. Pederson would have no motivation to providedifferent textures for the same reasons noted further above in thediscussion of the Dieckman '084 U.S. Patent, i.e. the players wouldnormally appear to be fully shod and would be unable to readilydistinguish different textures of the playing surfaces with their feet,if such different textures were provided.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,696 issued on Apr. 16, 1996 to Marvin Smollar etal., titled “Water Slide,” describes another variation on the waterslide with water spray devices of the '671 and '214 U.S. Patents to thesame inventors, discussed further above. The same points noted aboveregarding the differences between those devices and the presentinvention, are seen to apply here as well.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,922 issued on Sep. 3, 1996 to Harvey Katz et al.,titled “Toy Water Slide,” describes yet another water slide. The slideof the Katz patent has a serpentine pool area at the terminal end of theslide, requiring users to traverse this pathway. No competitive,interactive game, separate playing positions designated by color ortexture, or other features of the present game, are disclosed by Katz etal. in their '922 U.S. Patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,822 issued on Sep. 23, 1997 to Marvin Smollar etal., titled “Water Slide,” is another continuation-in-part of anabandoned parent application to the same inventor, from which the otherissued patents to the same inventor stem. The disclosure of the '822U.S. Patent is essentially the same as that of the '671 U.S. Patent tothe same inventors, discussed further above. The same points ofdistinction between the device of the '671 U.S. Patent and the presentinvention noted in that discussion, are seen to apply here as well.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,672,123 issued on Sep. 30, 1997 to Elliot Rudell et al.,titled “Water Mat Activity With Puddles And Spray Action,” describes awater-filled framework similar to the inflated hopscotch frame of the'819 U.S. Patent to Hartley, discussed further above. However, thedevice of the Rudell et al. '123 U.S. Patent includes a series oforifices therein, which allow water to spray therefrom when the deviceis connected to a water supply. This mechanism is similar to that usedin the play mat of the '959 U.S. Patent by the same first inventor,discussed further above. No textured playing positions are disclosed byRudell et al. in their '123 U.S. Patent.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,602 issued on Oct. 14, 1997 to Harvey Katz et al.,titled “Toy Water Slide,” is a continuation of the '922 U.S. Patent tothe same inventors, discussed further above. The same points ofdistinction noted in that discussion of the differences between thedevice of the '922 U.S. Patent and the present invention, are seen toapply here as well.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,314 issued on Nov. 4, 1997 to Anthony J. Musso,titled “Water Activated Hopscotch Game,” describes a series of playingpositions having a water supply connected thereto. A series of pressureactivated valves is provided in the playing positions, so that pressureon any of the playing positions results in a spray of water from thatposition. No textured playing positions are disclosed by Musso in hisapparatus. The device of the Musso U.S. Patent appears to be moreclosely related to the device of the '123 U.S. Patent to Rudell et al.,discussed further above, than it is to the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,983 issued on May 16, 2000 to Peter Butsook, titled“Combination Water Slide And Pool,” describes a water slide havingperipheral water jets to spray the surface in order to reduce thecoefficient of friction thereon. A sloped ramp joins the slide with alow wading pool. No competitive aspect or player interaction isdisclosed by

Butsook, and as in all of the other water slide devices of which thepresent inventor is aware, Butsook teaches away from any provision for atextured surface in his slide, as such would be undesirable on a surfaceintended for sliding upon.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,101 issued on Jul. 3, 2001 to Jason P. Young, titled“Floor Game For Team Building,” describes a relatively large game layouthaving multiple paths to be traversed by players. Only a single path iscorrect, however, with only a game facilitator being able to see thecorrect path by means of polarized lenses or the like. While Youngdescribes the use of a roughened surface beneath the layout in order toreduce movement relative to the underlying surface, he does not provideany form of texturing on the upper surface for better grip or tractionby players, nor does he describe any differentiation in texture fordifferent areas of the playing surface, as provided in the presentinvention.

U.S. Des. Pat. No. 330,242 issued on Oct. 13, 1992 to Scott Albee etal., titled “Wading Pool With An Inflatable Toy,” illustrates a designhaving an inflated arch extending upwardly from a wading pool. Abasketball goal is apparently provided in the arch, with arepresentation of a basketball or the like on a sheet spanning the arch.No differently textured playing positions providing for blindfold playor play in darkness is apparent in the Albee et al. design.

Finally, British Patent Publication No. 2,110,944 published on Jun. 29,1983, titled “Recreational Slide,” describes a water slide overlying awading pool, with the slide being filled with water in the pool area.The result is similar to the assembly disclosed in the Butsook '983 U.S.Patent, enabling a user to slide along the slide surface, over theinclined slope and into the pool. Accordingly, no disclosure is made ofany form of texture on any of the surfaces of the device of the '944British Patent Publication, as any provision of such would teach awayfrom the desirability of providing a smooth, low friction slidingsurface.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thusa game with textured playing positions solving the aforementionedproblems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises various embodiments of a game similar toTwister®, in which players attempt to position themselves on a playingsurface in accordance with random instructions. The present game differsfrom the original game of Twister in that the playing positions of thepresent game are textured, with different groups or rows of positionshaving different textures from one another. This not only providesbetter grip and traction, enabling play in water where the water mightotherwise reduce the coefficient of friction of the playing surface, butalso provides for the present game to be played by blindfolded players,or in darkness. Players may distinguish one position from another, or aposition of one group of positions from a position of another group ofpositions, by feel, rather than requiring sight and light to determinethe colors of the positions, as in the original Twister game. Anothervariation on the present game is the provision of phosphorescent colorson the playing positions to allow the game to be played in darkness, orfluorescent colors which may be distinguished from one another under“black light,” i.e. ultraviolet lighting. The present game thus opens aconsiderably greater number of environments for play, than provided bythe original Twister game.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon consideration of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a game with texturedplaying positions according to the present invention, showing play byblindfolded players.

FIG. 2 is an environmental, perspective view of an alternativeembodiment of the present game, showing its placement within a wadingpool or the like for water play.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of thepresent game, in which the locations of the variously colored andtextured playing positions have been randomized.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of yet another alternative embodiment of thepresent game, comprising a hexagonal pattern having different numbers ofplaying positions in different rows.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention comprises various embodiments of a Twister® typegame in which the playing positions on the playing surface are providedwith different textures from one another, to allow players todistinguish the different positions by touch rather than sight. Thepresent game may thus be played by blindfolded players, or in darknessif so desired. The textured playing positions also provide bettertraction and grip when wet, enabling the game to be played in water, asin a wading pool or the like. The playing surface may be provided as aseparate component for placement in an existing conventional wadingpool, or may be formed integrally with the pool as a unitary structure.Alternatively, the playing positions may be distinguished byphosphorescent or fluorescent colors to allow play in darkness or underultraviolet (“black”) light.

FIG. 1 of the drawings is an environmental perspective view of a firstembodiment playing surface 10 of the present game apparatus, showing itsgeneral configuration and use. The playing surface 10 is a relativelythin sheet of waterproof and preferably flexible material, e.g. a thinplastic or the like, to allow for folding and/or rolling the surface 10for storage when not in use. The playing surface 10 may be formed in anypracticable size and shape, but is preferably in the form of a rectangleat least a few feet long and wide, to provide room for at least twoplayers thereon.

The playing surface 10 includes a series of groups of playing positionsthereon, designated as groups 12 through 18.

Each of the groups 12 through 18 includes a series of playing positionsidentically configured as to size and shape therein, with the playingpositions being designated by the corresponding group number and analphabetic subcharacter, e.g. positions 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, etc. for thegroup 12, etc. The exemplary playing surface of FIG. 1 includes a totalof twenty four playing positions arranged in a four by six rectangularmatrix, with the positions of each group 12 through 18 being designatedby the lower case letters a through f. Other playing surfaceconfigurations may be provided as desired, with some of thoseconfigurations illustrated in other drawing FIGS. and discussed furtherbelow.

Each of the playing positions 12 a-18 f has a textured upper surface,with each group 12, 14, 16, and 18 having a series of positions a-f withlike textures and with the playing position textures being differentbetween the different groups 12, 14, 16 and 18. Also, while it is notabsolutely necessary for the present game apparatus, the various playingpositions 12 a through 18 f may be colored to distinguish one group fromanother, with like colors corresponding to like textures. Due to thedifficulty in showing both a texture and a color disposed upon a singlesurface, the textures of the majority of the playing positions 12 athrough 18 f in FIG. 1 are shown covering only about one half of thearea of the positions. The remaining area of each position is reservedto show the corresponding color of the given position.

Thus, the first group or row of playing positions 12 a through 12 f havetextures 20 comprising a series of regular ridges, with thecorresponding color 22 being yellow. The second group or row ofpositions 14 a through 14 f have textures 24 formed of a series ofregularly spaced bumps, or perhaps a regular grid or the like, with thecorresponding color 26 being green. The third group or row of positions16 a through 16 fhave smooth surfaces 28; thus, no specific texture isshown. The color 30 of these smoothly textured positions 16 a through 16fis blue. Finally, the fourth group or row of positions 18 a through 18f has a bristly texture 32, e.g. as in the feel of hook and loop, orpile, material, with the corresponding color 34 being red.

It will be seen that other textures and/or colors may be used, and/orthe color and texture combinations described above and shown in theexample of FIG. 1 may be combined differently as desired. It should alsobe noted that while each of the groups 12 through 18 forms a straight,uniform row of like textured and colored positions, the positions may beplaced in some other arrangement or randomized, if so desired.

The game illustrated in FIG. 1 is played by at least two players P1 andP2 with the rules of play generally being the same as in a conventionalgame of Twister, i.e., a caller (not shown) calls out an extremity(e.g., left hand, right foot, etc.) and a position designation. However,rather than calling out a color, as is conventional in the play of thegame of Twister, the caller calls out a texture, i.e. ridged, bumpy,smooth, or bristles. The players P1 and P2 play in their stocking feet,as shown, or perhaps barefoot, in order to detect the specific texturesof the various groups of playing positions. The players P1 and P2 arewearing blindfolds B in FIG. 1, but it will be noted that the texturedplaying positions permit play in the dark, as well.

In such an environment, the caller would be provided with a small sourceof light to read the randomly selected extremity and position textureinstructions. The players P1 and P2 must, of course, feel for theappropriate texture as instructed, and are permitted to place theassigned appendage, e.g. right hand, on a number of differently texturedplaying positions until finding one position of the assigned texture.

While the provision of colors corresponding to the textured positionshas been described further above, the colors do not enter into the playof the game as shown in FIG. 1. However, they do permit the playingsurface 10 and its textured and colored playing surfaces 12 a through 18f to be used for the play of the game conventionally, i.e. with calloutsusing colors, rather than textures, if so desired. Alternatively, thevarious playing positions may be provided with a single, uniform color,with no color differentiation between positions, if so desired,permitting play only according to the sensing of the different texturesof the different groups of playing positions. Another alternative is theprovision of phosphorescent or fluorescent colors on the various playingpositions. Providing phosphorescence in the various colors permits thepresent game to be played in darkened conditions, yet allows the playersto play the game visually. Fluorescence provides for visualdetermination of the different playing positions when an ultravioletlight is provided to illuminate the playing surface.

FIG. 2 provides an environmental perspective view of an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, wherein a wading pool 100 includesa side wall 102 and a bottom 104 having a textured playing surface 106therein. The playing surface 106 may be provided as a separate sheet,i.e., the playing surface 10 of FIG. 1 may be applied to the bottom of aconventional wading pool, or the playing surface 106 may be formedintegrally with the pool 100 as a unitary structure. The depth of thepool 100 is not critical. However, the pool 100 is preferably relativelyshallow, in order to avoid submerging the heads and faces of players onall fours in the pool 100. The pool 100 may be used at the beach, or onanother area of sand and/or loose surface materials, and accordingly maybe provided with a foot bath 108 adjacent or attached thereto. Playersmay rinse their feet in the foot bath 108 prior to stepping into thepool area proper with its playing surface bottom 106, in order to avoidtracking sand or other material into the pool proper.

The playing surface 106 of the pool 100 of FIG. 2 has essentially thesame configuration as the playing surface 10 of FIG. 1, i.e., a seriesof groups 112 through 118, with each group comprising a series ofplaying positions. The playing positions are indicated in the samemanner as used in FIG. 1, with the first group 112 positions designatedas positions 112 a through 112 f, the second group 114 positionsdesignated as positions 114 a through 114 f, etc. Each of the positionsforming each of the groups 112 through 118 is of like texture and colorin that group, just as in the case of the playing surface 10 of FIG. 1.

The series of playing positions 112 a through 112 f of the first group112 all have ridged textures 120, and are colored yellow 122. Thepositions 114 a through 114 f of the second group 114 are all texturedwith a series of uniformly distributed bumps 124, or may alternativelybe seen as a grid separated by raised bumps. These positions of thesecond group are colored green 126. The third group positions 116 athrough 116 fmay have a smooth texture 128, or may be provided with someother texture; no specific texture is shown on the third group positions116 a through 116 fof FIG. 2. A blue color 130 is provided for each ofthe third group positions 116. Finally, the fourth group positions 118 athrough 118 f are provided with a bristled texture 132, and colored red134. As in the case of the various textures and colors of the playingpositions on the playing surface 10 of FIG. 1, the textures and colorsof the playing positions 112 a through 118 f of the pool 100 of FIG. 2are exemplary. Other textures and/or colors may be provided as desired.

The game using the pool apparatus 100 of FIG. 2 may be played generallyin accordance with the conventional rules of play for Twister, i.e., acaller (not shown) randomly calls out an extremity (i.e. left or righthand, or left or right foot), and a position color, with the playersattempting to place the designated extremity on one of the designatedplayer positions. However, the pool apparatus 100, with its texturedplaying positions, may be used to play a game much like the gamedescribed for the playing surface 10 of FIG. 1, where position texturesare called out, rather than position colors.

While the different textures of the various playing position groupsenable the players,. e.g., players P3 and P4, to determine the desiredplaying positions by hand or foot contact, another benefit of thetextured playing positions is that they provide a higher coefficient offriction for the players P3 and P4. In other words, the players P3 andP4 experience a higher level of traction and grip than would be the casewith a conventionally printed position pattern on the bottom surface ofthe pool. This serves to make it more difficult for one of the playersto dislodge the other from his or her position on the playing positions.The use of the textured playing positions also allows the pool 100apparatus to be used in darkness, just as in the textured playingsurface 10 of FIG. 1. The same provision for phosphorescent orfluorescent colors may be made for the playing positions of the poolapparatus 100, respectively enabling the game to be played with nolighting other than the phosphorescence, or with only ultraviolet(“black”) lighting.

FIG. 3 of the drawings illustrates yet another embodiment of the presentinvention, in which the playing positions with their different colorsand textures are randomly distributed over the playing surface 200. Thedifferently textured and colored playing positions are still members ofdifferent groups, according to their textures and colors. However, thepositions of any given group are not aligned in uniform rows in theexample of FIG. 3, but are distributed randomly. In FIG. 3, the fourrows of positions are designated as rows 202, 204, 206, and 208, withthe columns of positions designated by the alphabetic characters athrough f. Thus, the fourth position of the third row would bedesignated as position 206 d, etc.

In the randomized player positions of the playing surface 200 of FIG. 3,the groups do not form individual linear columns. Rather, the groups aredistributed widely over the surface 200, as defined by the locations ofthe individual playing positions defining each group. For example, thefirst group 212, comprising the player positions having ridged textures220 and colored yellow 222, is formed of the first group positions 202a, 208 b, 204 c, 204 e, 202 f, and 206 f. (As in the embodiments ofFIGS. 1 and 2 discussed further above, the textures and the colors ofeach playing position are shown separated for clarity in the drawings.)The second group 214, comprising the player positions having bumped orgridded textures 224 and colored green 226, is formed of the secondgroup positions 204 a, 202 b, 208 c, 206 d, 202 e, and 208 f. The thirdgroup 216, comprising the player positions having smooth textures 228and colored blue 230, is formed of the third group positions 206 a, 204b, 206 c, 202 d, 208 d, and 206 e. Finally, the fourth group 218,comprising the positions having bristled textures 232 and colored red234, is formed of the fourth group positions 208 a, 206 b, 202 c, 204 d,208 e, and 204 f. Again, the specific arrangement of the above describedpositions and groups is not critical to the present invention, and thecolors and textures may be mixed as desired, and/or other textures andcolors may be used as desired, just as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and2.

FIG. 4 provides a plan view of still another embodiment, comprising anon-rectangular pattern. The playing surface 300 of FIG. 4 forms acircular pattern, with the textured playing positions therein comprisinga hexagonal matrix of positions. As in the case of the other embodimentsdiscussed further above, the playing positions on the playing surface300 comprise a series of groups. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, there arefive groups, designated as groups 310 through 318. Each of the groupscomprises a straight row, with the number of individual playingpositions varying from row to row or group to group in order to form thehexagonal pattern shown. Such a hexagonal pattern disposed upon acircular playing surface 300 is well suited for placement in an existingcircular wading pool or the like, and precludes the need to find arectangular pool in order to place a rectangular playing surfacetherein.

The playing positions are indicated in generally the same manner as usedin FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it will be seen that the various groups orrows 310 through 318 comprise different numbers of individual playingpositions therein, due to the hexagonal matrix. The first group or row310 includes a series of three playing positions 310 a through 310 c,with the second group or row 312 having one more position, with thosesecond row positions designated as positions 312 a through 312 d. Thethird group or row 314 is central and forms the longest row, comprisingfive positions 314 a through 314 e. The fourth and fifth groups or rowsare each reduced by one position from the previous group, with thefourth group or row 316 containing four playing positions 316 a through316 d and the fifth group or row 318 having three positions 318 athrough 318 c.

Each of the positions forming each of the groups 310 through 318 is oflike texture and color within that group, just as in the cases of theplaying surface 10 of FIG. 1 and playing surface 106 of FIG. 2. However,it will be noted that the positions comprising each group have differenttextures and colors than their respective groups in the otherembodiments. It will be understood that this is exemplary, and serves toshow that the specific arrangement of the textures and colors of theplaying positions forming any given group, are not critical. The textureand color indications are split across each of the playing positions(excepting the plain or untextured surfaces, where applicable) in orderto show clearly both the texture and the color of each of the positions,as in the cases of the other embodiments of FIGS. 1 through 3. It willbe understood that the textures and colors indicated, would both bedistributed over essentially the entire surface of each of the playingpositions.

The series of playing positions 310 a through 310 c of the first group310 all have bristled textures 320, and are colored red 322. Thepositions 312 a through 312 d of the second group 312 are all texturedwith a series of ridges 324 and have a yellow color 326. The fivepositions 314 a through 314 e of the centrally disposed third group 314have a smooth texture 328, and are colored blue 330. Alternatively, someother texture may be provided for better traction and grip, particularlyif the. playing surface 300 is to be used in a pool or other body ofwater. The playing positions 316 a through 316 d of the fourth group 316have textures formed of uniformly distributed bumps 332, or mayalternatively be seen as a grid separated by raised bumps. Thesepositions of the fourth group 316 are colored green 334. Finally, thefifth group positions 318 a through 318 c are textured and coloredidentically to the first group positions 310 a through 310 c, withbristled textures 320 and a red color 322.

It will be seen that an alternative fifth texture, e.g. a roughened orsandpaper texture, dimples, etc., and a color not used on the playingpositions of the other rows or groups, may be provided for the fifth rowpositions 318 a through 318 c, if so desired. As in the case of thevarious textures and colors of the playing positions on the playingsurfaces 10 and 106, respectively of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the textures andcolors of the playing positions 310 a through 320 c of the playingsurface 300 of FIG. 4 are exemplary. Other textures and/or colors may beprovided as desired.

In conclusion, the present Twister type game with its textured playingsurfaces, provides a novel variation upon the original Twister concept,which uses colors to designate the various playing positions andrequires sighted players and acceptable lighting. The present game, withits textured playing positions, completely eliminates any need for sightor lighting. While the present game may be played as a party game byblindfolded players, it also provides a new entertainment opportunityfor blind persons, or for color blind persons who cannot readilydistinguish different colors. The present game may also be played intotal darkness, with only the caller requiring a small source of lightin order to read the callout instructions for extremity placement by theplayers. Alternatively, the playing positions may be provided withphosphorescent or fluorescent colors (either completely covered, or asmaller portion of the area thereof), to enable play in completedarkness or by means of ultraviolet (“black light”) illumination,respectively.

The textures of the playing positions also provide an advantage forwater play, by providing additional traction and grip for players inwhat would otherwise be a relatively slippery surface. Such texturedplaying positions open the way for playing environments not generallyused in the past, e.g. at the beach, around a swimming pool, etc. Whilerectangular configurations having regular rows of identically configuredplaying positions are disclosed herein, at least one embodimentdescribes a non-rectangular configuration which is well suited forplacement in a circular wading pool or the like.

It will be seen that other playing surface shapes may be provided fromthe present invention as desired, e.g. regular and irregular trianglesand other polygonal shapes, etc., as desired. The order of the playingpositions within any given playing surface may form regular rows orcolumns, or may be randomized as desired. Virtually any textures andcolors may be used to form the playing positions of the present game, asdesired. In any of its various aspects or embodiments, the presentTwister® type game with its textured playing positions provides a freshvariation upon the older game of Twister®, and greatly expands theplaying environment and opens the way for large numbers of people toenjoy the game, who cannot play the original Twister game with its colorlimitations.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A game apparatus with textured playing positions, comprising: aplaying surface; a plurality of playing positions disposed upon theplaying surface, each of the playing positions having a texturedsurface, the playing positions being divided into a plurality of groups,each of the groups having a distinctive, textured surface, whereby theplaying position in one group is distinguishable from the playingposition in another one of the groups by touch; whereby the playingsurface is adapted for playing a game in which players positionthemselves upon the playing positions as assigned by determining thetexture of the playing position by contact therewith.
 2. The gameapparatus according to claim 1, further including: a wading pool,comprising at least: a side wall; and a bottom comprising said playingsurface with said textured playing positions thereon.
 3. The gameapparatus according to claim 1, further including a foot bath extendingoutwardly from said side wall of said wading pool.
 4. The game apparatusaccording to claim 1, further including a plurality of colors disposedupon said playing positions and corresponding to said different texturesthereof.
 5. The game apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said colorsare selected from the group consisting of phosphorescent colors andfluorescent colors.
 6. The game apparatus according to claim 1, whereineach one of said groups of said textured playing positions comprises alinear row.
 7. The game apparatus according to claim 1, wherein saidtextured playing positions of each of said groups are randomlydistributed upon said playing surface.
 8. The game apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein said textured playing positions form a rectangularmatrix of rows and columns.
 9. The game apparatus according to claim 1,wherein said textured playing positions form a non-rectangular pattern.10. The game apparatus according to claim 9, wherein saidnon-rectangular pattern of said textured playing positions comprises ahexagonal matrix.
 11. A game apparatus with textured playing positions,comprising: a wading pool, having at least: a bottom wall defining aperiphery; and a side wall disposed about the periphery of the bottomwall, the bottom wall and side wall forming a pool adapted forcontaining water; a playing surface disposed upon the bottom wall; aplurality of playing positions disposed upon the playing surface, eachof the playing positions having a textured surface, the playingpositions being divided into a plurality of groups, each of the groupshaving a distinctive, textured surface, whereby the playing position inone group is distinguishable from the playing position in another one ofthe groups by touch; whereby the playing surface is adapted for playinga game in which players position themselves upon the playing positionsas assigned by determining the texture of the playing position bycontact therewith.
 12. The game apparatus according to claim 11, whereinsaid playing surface is formed integrally with said bottom of saidwading pool.
 13. The game apparatus according to claim 11, furtherincluding a foot bath extending outwardly from said side wall of saidwading pool.
 14. The game apparatus according to claim 11, furtherincluding a plurality of colors disposed upon said playing positions andcorresponding to said different textures thereof.
 15. The game apparatusaccording to claim 14, wherein said colors are selected from the groupconsisting of phosphorescent colors and fluorescent colors.
 16. The gameapparatus according to claim 11, wherein each one of said groups of saidtextured playing positions comprises a linear row.
 17. The gameapparatus according to claim 11, wherein said textured playing positionsof each of said groups are randomly distributed upon said playingsurface.
 18. The game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein saidtextured playing positions form a rectangular matrix of rows andcolumns.
 19. The game apparatus according to claim 11, wherein saidtextured playing positions form a non-rectangular pattern.
 20. The gameapparatus according to claim 19, wherein said non-rectangular pattern ofsaid textured playing positions comprises a hexagonal matrix.